It was a great relief to finish the set of ornaments that I have been working on for almost two weeks. Having the pieces finished and in front of me was very satisfying. I liked how they came out, and I am very appreciative of the warm kind and encouraging comments that everyone has shown regarding them.

But painting the pieces is only part of the process. Now comes the work of photographing them for the pattern packet, as well as adjusting the step-by-step photos that I had taken along the way. I find that these photos are especially important to include in the instruction packet – especially for the painters.

Unlike woodworking patterns in which those who use it simply follow a line, when following a painting pattern, visuals and color are very important. One of the reasons that I left the one wholesaler was that I found that they were changing my patterns that I supplied to them not only by eliminating the color step-by-step photographs, but sometimes limiting color altogether. I can only imagine what the customer was receiving and how frustrating it must have been for them.

Several years ago when I began designing for the magazine, I also designed decorative painting patterns. However, I had found that reproducing the pattern in color was not only time consuming but also very costly, and for many years I chose to focus on woodworking patterns only.

But things have changed and with finding inexpensive ways to print in color as well as digital photography, it makes it much easier and much more economical to make color patterns. And that once again opens the avenue for me to create painting patterns.

Yesterday I showed you some pictures of the new pieces. However, they weren’t color corrected and were not really of a quality that I would use for the pattern packet. I spent the majority of the day yesterday working on the photos for the packet and getting things just right. The final picture looks like this:

The colors are far more natural and true. This will also make it easier for painters to follow the painting instructions that I offer them.

With that said, I will be working on the final writing part of things today. When painting a project such as this, I find that writing the instructions soon after the project is completed helps make things easier, as everything is fresh in my mind. I do write down the colors in a notebook as I go, but sometimes I miss something here or there and I like to document things and make the pattern as soon as I am finished so that I don’t miss anything.

I hope to have the pattern up on the site this weekend, as there have been several people asking about it. We are planning another site update in the next couple of days and I plan to include it with that. We are also working on a new catalog, as there are many new patterns that both Keith and I have introduced since the last one. That alone is a large task and Keith will be doing that while I am working on my pattern.

We have a holiday weekend here in Canada, and unfortunately it looks like it will be raining throughout. I hope that it does clear up somewhat so others can enjoy outdoor activities. Summer seems to be very stubborn and slow in arriving this year.

I wish you all a good weekend no matter where you are from. I hope you take some time to enjoy yourselves and relax and have fun.

I am glad you like them Nancy. They really aren’t that hard. You base coat them and then shade them by floating (like I did on my one video for the “America!” and “O Canada!” pieces. Really that is all there is to it.

You will find that it is really fun to paint and not as hard as it looks. Like anything, you just need to go one step at a time. The “floating” seems to be the most challenging thing to grasp, but as with anything, a little practice really helps. Start on larger, simpler pieces (you can enlarge smaller ornament patterns if you wish) and just try. What have you got to lose? When I began, many things went right to the sander to start over! But the important thing is to be kind to yourself and have fun learning. :)

I love these ornaments Sheila. I just love all the detail you put into them. Looking forward to your site update and seeing the new patterns.The heat wave has begun here. It’s going to be a beautiful weekend.